Lullaby
by Hodgeheg
Summary: SPR is back, and the dead are far from quiet...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt, or it's characters, apart from the ones I made up. ^.^**

Chapter One

Mai stared at the clock, willing the hands to speed up. She had done all of her filing, and as it was the summer holidays, she had no homework. And she was completely bored. Lin and Naru had retreated to their various lairs/offices, and she had just finished a tea order. She tipped her head back in her chair, when the door opened and a woman entered. She had a desperate look on her face, and was looking wildly about.

"Hello, welcome to SPR. Do you have an appointment?" The woman wheeled round, studied Mai for a moment, then nodded.

"Y-yes. My name is Youko Aemi… I think that I spoke to you on the phone?"

"Yes. Please take a seat." Mai gestured to the waiting area, and then knocked on Naru and Lin's doors. She then made some more tea. By the time she got back, Naru had already started to interview her.

"It started a few weeks ago. My sister had come to visit us, and myself, my daughter and my sister all heard this crying noise. It was horrible…" she shuddered, before continuing. "We also hear screams and banging sounds in one of our rooms. Sometimes there is even a light bulb smashed. And in a different room, we occasionally see a shadow of a rope." The woman finished, gripping her tea tightly, although she had not drunk any of it.

"We will take the case. We will require three rooms to sleep in and a larger room for our base, with lots of sockets. Expect us to arrive at ten tomorrow."

Mai as just putting down the phone after calling everyone when the door to the office once again opened. Madoka breezed in, nodded at Mai and disappeared in to Naru's office. Ten minutes (and a lot of shouting in English) later, Madoka came out, Naru behind her with a seriously pissed off expression.

"Mai! How are you? Noll tells me that you have just accepted a case!" Madoka beamed at Mai, and settled herself on one of the sofas.

"I'm fine. I thought that you were meant to be in England?"  
>"Oh, I was, but I decided that it was time to check on Noll. Is Lin in?" Mai nodded, and Madoka disappeared in to Lin's office.<p>

"Mai, tea." Mai sighed. Naru _always _seemed to want tea when there was actually someone to talk to. With a sigh, she got up and went to make the tea. As she was waiting for the kettle to boil, the door opened again, and Madoka's voice wafted through the office.

"Wait, Koujo, where are you going?" However, the door had banged shut. Mai didn't have to be in the room to know that Madoka was shaking her head. The whistling of the kettle pulled Mai away from her thoughts, and she turned to continue making the tea. She took the steaming cup back in to the main office, where Naru was still standing.

"Here you go." Mai waited. Madoka waited. Naru took the cup, blew it, then took a sip. He turned to go back into his office, but found his door blocked by Madoka.

"Noll, what do you say?" Madoka asked, with the air of telling off a five year old.

"Move," was his reply.

"Noll…" Growled Madoka.

"Move now." Sighing, Madoka did so and Naru slammed in to his office. Mai giggled, and Madoka rolled her eyes.

"That boy never did have any manners…" She sighed again, then sat back down on the sofa. She patted the seat beside her to indicate that Mai should sit next to her.

"So, Mai, Naru hasn't made you do anything too dangerous, has he?" She said this in such a serious tone, that Mai giggled again, then shook her head.

"Good. Oh, and I'm coming with you on your case tomorrow." The two women gossiped happily on the sofa until it was time for Mai to go home.

The next day Mai ran crazily through the streets to SPR, trying not to cringe at how late she was. She had forgotten to pack last night, and she wasn't entirely sure what she had chucked in to her bag this morning. She rounded a corner, and almost flattened Yasuhara.

"HEY! Watch where… oh, hi Mai!" Yasuhara straightened his glasses, and helped Mai up, who had fallen over.

"Thanks."

"Where are you running off to?" Asked Yasuhara innocently. Mai glowered at him.

"Where do you think?"

"Right. Point made." They walked the rest of the way to the office, and when they reached it Naru was standing outside, glaring at them.

"Mai, help load the equipment in to the van. Yasuhara, you help as well." With that, he turned and went to sit in the van. Mai waited until she was sure that he couldn't see her, then poked her tongue out at him.

Half an hour later, (Monk had to pick up Ayako, who seemed to want to take half of her wardrobe with her.) they finally hit the road. Mai settled happily in her seat. As Madoka was with them, she had managed to escape being trapped between the two most talkative people ever- Lin and Naru. She talked with John and Yasuhara and John, whilst Ayako and Bou-san bickered for the entire journey, only finishing when Ayako finally hit Bou-san when they arrived.

"Hello. My name is Youko Tatsuharu. Are you Shibuya-san?" A middle aged man addressed Lin.

"No, that's my assistant Lin-san. I'm Kazuya Shibuya, and this is the rest of my team." Naru icily said, and the man hurriedly apologised.

"Welcome to our house," his wife said, appearing beside her husband. "Please, if you would like to follow, I will show you your base and where you will be sleeping." She turned and went back inside, and SPR followed. Inside it seemed dark in contrast to the sun outside, and it took a while for Mai's eyes to adjust. When they did, Mai gasped.

"It's so beautiful!" She murmured, looking straight in front of her. There was a large glass wall at the back of the base, showing a view of the garden. There were Sakura trees, jasmine bushes and other flowers that were all colours. Mai could hear the tinkling of a fountain nearby, although it was out of view. She heard a cough, and hurried over to where Naru was waiting for her with decreasing amounts of patience.

"Mai, when you've finished gawking like an idiot, help the others unload the van." Mai blushed.

"Jerk." She muttered, before going out to help bring in the equipment.

Eventually, Mai flopped down on one of then sofas in base. She felt her eyes grow heavy, and soon she was asleep.

**Okay… so a new story. Not sure about this chapter, although I've had an idea for a later chapter in my head now for ages. I apologise if there are mistakes. And I might change the title…. Please review. It makes me happy.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Mai… Mai… MAI! WAKE UP!" Mai's eyes flew open, and she sat up suddenly, colliding with Ayako on the way.

"Finally! Naru's going to implode if he doesn't get his tea soon!" Naru glared at Ayako, and she recoiled slightly. Mai sprang off the sofa, and padded off down the corridor in search of the kitchen. She passed a door that was closed, and wondering whether she had found the kitchen, opened it.

"Aemi-san? Are you okay?" Aemi was pacing around the room, muttering wildly to herself. She ignored Mai.  
>"Aemi-san? Ae-" Mai broke off when Aemi turned to look at her, her expression full of hatred.<p>

"You! You stole…" She rasped, pointing an accusing finger at Mai.

"Uh, Aemi-san, I think you're wrong. I didn't steal anything."

"You stole from me! From me! Your sister!" Mai backed away from Aemi, who now had a manic gleam in her eyes. "But justice will be served…" She snatched a knife off the kitchen counter top and brandished it at Mai.

"W…who are you?" Stuttered Mai, looking in terror at the end of the knife.

"Don't you even know your own sister? Don't you recognise me? Your big sister Chikako? The one you st-" At that moment, Mai was pulled backwards. She looked down and saw that Ayako was pulling her hand and John was standing in front of Aemi. He performed an exorcism, and Bou-san rushed forwards to catch her as she sagged to the floor. Bou-san and John went back to base, Bou-san carrying Aemi. Ayako stayed behind to help Mai make tea with everyone. Soon they had taken it into base, and they were all waiting for Aemi to wake up.

"Hara-san?" Naru asked, after hearing Mai recount the attack. The medium looked up.

"Yes?" She asked, covering her mouth with her kimono sleeve.

"Do you feel up to doing a séance tonight?" Masako, still hidden behind her sleeve, nodded. Just then, Aemi woke up.

"W… what happened?" She asked, peering blearily around the room.

"You were possessed," said Ayako kindly. Aemi nodded distractedly.

"Well, I better go and start making dinner." She stood up and left the room.

"Mai, seeing as you were asleep earlier, will you go with Matsuzaki-san and Takigawa-san and take some temperature checks?"

"Sure!" Mai stood up and the three of them left the room. They wandered around the house, noting down the temperatures as they went. They opened up the door to the last room and went inside. The door behind them slammed shut, and as Ayako, Monk and Mai turned, they saw the shadow of a noose. Behind them, they heard an evil cackle. A book flew through the air, and a wind started to pick up, swirling their hair around their faces. Monk started up his chant, whilst Ayako and Mai rattled the door desperately. Soon, the wind died down, the books clattered to the floor and the cackling stopped. Mai and Ayako managed to yank the door open, and the three of them piled out and stood panting in the corridor.

"D… did anyone… manage… to see the temperature?" asked Bou-san in between pants.

"Uh… it was 18 degrees, normal temperature." Said Mai, after consulting the clipboard.

"Are you sure? That's a bit unusual, considering the stuff that went on tin there." Said Bou-san, frowning.

"Well, we can always underline it and tell Naru about it." Said Ayako. "We'd better go back; Masako should be ready by now." The three of them wandered back towards base, where Masako was sitting in front of a table with a candle on it. Masako's head was bent, and everyone seemed to be staring at Masako.

"Chikako-san, are you there?" Aske

d Naru. Masako nodded.

"Do you know what happened?" Masako looked up, with an expression of pure hatred on her face.

"She stole form me."

"Who stole from you?" Asked Madoka from her seat in the corner.

"My sister. My younger sister."

"What did she steal?" Mai said, frowning slightly.

"She stole… Hachiuma…" Masako's face turned abruptly sad.

"Who's Hachiuma-san?"

"My… husband… but she stole him from me…" Masako broke off, and her face darkened for a minute.

"She stole him from me, but she knew he was mine!" The lights started flickering, and the candle blew out with a hiss. Masako started to topple sideways, and John rushed to catch her. Her eyes fluttered open, and she yawned.

"Are you okay, Masako?" Ayako said, sounding concerned.

"Yeah… I'm fine." Her forehead creased. "Chikako-san… she's very angry."

"Is she going to attack any of us?" Bou-san stood up, looking grim.

"No, she's upset as well. But… I sense another spirit here. She seems… desperate." The door opened, and Aemi poked her head around the door.

"Dinners ready. Unfortunately, my husband Tatsuharu will be unable to join us for dinner. He has the late shift at the hospital." The members of SPR stood up, and followed her out of the room. They settled down at the table, where Aemi proceeded to bring through the dinner.

"Aemi-san, do you have any records of the previous occupants of this house?" Asked Naru, once Aemi had sat down.

"No, but I found a wedding album when we moved in. Shall I show it to you after dinner?"

"Yes." The rest of the dinner was uneventful, and afterwards they all returned to base, apart from Mai, who had been despatched for a tea order, and Aemi, who had gone to find the album. Presently, both of them returned, and Aemi showed round the album.

"We found this when we were clearing out the front room. Apparently, it was for the marriage of Sasaki Hachiuma and Hokaido Chikako." Mai looked at the photographs. It showed a woman in her late twenties with light brown hair and hazel eyes, and a man, also in his late twenties, but with an unfathomable expression in his dark eyes.

"We tried looking for a forwarding address for these people so we could give it back to them, but apparently they never lived here. I have no idea how it got here." Aemi looked at it, before standing up, excusing herself with a bow, and leaving the room. There was silence for a bit, as everyone looked at the pictures (apart from Lin- he was still typing away at his laptop). Gradually though, a babble of sound built up, and Naru resumed his thinking pose. Eventually, they left one by one to go to bed. Mai sank in to the sheets gratefully, and she soon fell asleep.

_Mai looked around at the floating orbs. "Gene?" She called out, peering around her._

"_Here." She turned, and Gene stood smiling at her. He started walking forwards, and gestured to Mai to follow. Soon, the scene morphed, and Mai found herself looking at two young girls playing together._

"_Found you, Chikako!" One of the girls laughed, and tugged at her arm. _

"_You cheated, Kao!" _

"_No I didn't!" _

"_You did, I saw you." The younger of the two girls started to cry. An older woman, presumably their mother, appeared in the door way._

"_Chikako, Kaoruko, time for lunch! Come in and wash your hands." The two girls rushed inside, and the scene changed again, to when they were older. Mai followed the people, all dressed formally. She sat down in a seat, before realising where she was. She watched as Chikako floated down the aisle, with Kaoruko behind her. They came to a stop at the front of the room, where a man stood. Someone started saying the traditional wedding vows, and Mai realised that she was witnessing the wedding of Chikako and Hachiuma. She glanced at Kaoruko, and was startled to see her looking so sad. It didn't make sense- weddings were meant to be happy occasions. The vows ended, and the scene changed again. This time, it was completely blank. Mai heard people shouting and screaming, and there was a gunshot. There was the sound of a baby's cry, and there was another gunshot. The cry stopped suddenly. Mai felt tears start to cascade down her face, even though she hadn't even seen the killing take place- just heard it. She turned, and Gene pulled her into a hug._

**Second chapter- finally. This is dedicated to my friend (she knows who she is) and I hope she feels better soon.**

**This took ages to write- literally, it took about 7 attempts! Then school started, and I wrote it really quickly once the idea started in my head...**

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Mai woke up with a start, her heart pounding. She could feel the salty tracks of tears on her face and she impatiently brushed them away. She sat up, her legs tangling in her blanket as she did so. She slipped off the low futon and quietly passed the other futon that Madoka was sleeping on. She was meant to be sharing the room with Masako, who had refused and gone with Ayako. Mai wandered down the hallway until she reached base. She slid open the door, and walked in. John and Monk, who were watching the monitors, looked up.

"Hey Mai, what's up?" asked Monk as she sat on one of the sofas.

"N-nothing."

"Then why are you up?"

"I had a dream, and couldn't get back to sleep."

"Ah." They lapsed back in to silence, and stared at the screens. Suddenly, Monk moved away from him and moved towards the monitors.

"Bou-san? What is it?" Asked John, moving next to him. He gasped.

"John? Bou-san? What is it? Wha- whoa, what's that?" There, on the screen, was the silhouette of a rope. Suddenly, all around them was the sound of a baby's cry. Something tugged at Mai's heartstrings, and a lump started to form in her throat. She shivered and covered her ears with her hands, tears starting to form in her eyes. The door banged open, and Ayako came charging in, a blazing look in her eyes, with Masako not far behind and looking very pale. A few seconds later Madoka appeared, looking uncharacteristically sad. John and Bou-san looked up with astonishment, confused as to what was going on. The sound went on and on, and then just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.

"Wh… wh… what was that?" Asked Mai, still shivering.

"What was what?"

"Don't tell me that you and John didn't hear that?"

"Hear what?"  
>"The crying! The baby crying!" Exclaimed Ayako, looking incredulously at the blank look on Monk.<p>

"Ayako, there was nothing there," said Bou-san gently.

"If there was nothing, then how come all of us apart from you and John heard it?"

"I don't know Ayako, I'm not the font of all knowledge!"

"No, you're just a stupid Monk!"

"Hey now, Ayako, Takigawa, don't argue!" Said Madoka, who was somewhat recovered. Mai stood up shakily, and announced that she was going to make everyone some tea. Ayako (who was still muttering death threats and insults under her breath) joined her. They walked down the hallway to the kitchen, and Ayako watched Mai put water in to a kettle and pull out various cups and saucers.

"What was that anyway?" Said Ayako eventually, breaking the silence that had occurred.

"I don't know. It sounded like a baby."

"I know. I wonder why only we could hear it."

"Mmm. Hey… wouldn't… yes… that sounds similar to what she said…"

"Mai, would it kill you to clue me in to what your little brain is thinking?"

"Well, when Aemi-san came to us with this case, she mentioned that she, her daughter and her sister all heard the crying. She didn't mention her husband, however. And now, neither John nor Monk seem to have heard the crying, and wouldn't Yasuhara, Naru and Lin have come to base to see what it was about if they had heard it? You, Masako and Madoka did. So I'm thinking, only females can hear the noise." Ayako looked down at Mai who had an earnest expression on her face.

"It's plausible, and it certainly explains a lot. We'll run it through Naru when he's awake." She grabbed the tray that the drinks were on, and Mai ran ahead to open the door for her. They walked back silently to base, and distributed the drinks. After they finished, Ayako and Masako left to go back to bed. Madoka stood up as well.

"Are you coming Mai?" Mai looked around at base for a few seconds, then nodded and stood up, stifling a yawn. They wandered back to their bedroom and opened the door. Mai shrieked. The room was completely messed up, with clothes strewn across the floor and the pillows and mattresses torn. There were still a few feathers floating around the room. A few moments later after hearing Mai's shriek, everyone was peering into the room. Naru studied the situation for a few moments before reaching a decision.

"Mai, Mori-san, you will be sharing a room with Matsuzake-san and Hara-san. There are clean sleeping bags in the van. Lin, could you get them out of the van?" Lin and Naru had a mini glaring match for a few seconds, before Lin nodded and turned away from the door and walked away.

"Mai, Madoka, what happened?"

"Well, I heard a crying sound which woke me up, so I went in to base, and Ayako, Mai and Masako were already there. They also heard the noise, but John and Takigawa did not. When Mai and I got back here again, the room was like this."

"Ne, Naru, I was already in base when the crying started." Naru's attention turned from Madoka to Mai, a thoughtful expression on his features.

"Why were you in base?"  
>"I had a dream, and then couldn't get back to sleep. In it, I saw Chikako-san and Kaoruko-san as children, and then it skipped to when Chikako-san and Hachiuma-san were getting married. Then it went all black, and I heard gun shots and the sound of crying again." Mai felt the tears prick her eyes again, and her voice shook at the end. Ayako pulled the younger girl in to a hug. Slowly they trickled back to their various rooms, apart from Naru who remained at the door frame thinking.<p>

_The next day…_

Mai groggily made the first cup of Naru's tea of the day. She was not, to put it lightly, a happy bunny. After finally drifting off to sleep, she kept hearing the crying and gunshot until they all mixed up into a confused blur. The result? She had had about three hours of real sleep and Naru was still demanding tea. She stormed back into base, and slammed the tea down. She then curled back up on the sofa, throwing killer thoughts at Naru.

"Yasuhara, go down to the library and pull up any records that you can that involve Chikako-san, Hachiuma-san and Kaoruko-san. Take Mai with you." Mai and Yasuhara stood up and left the base together. They walked out the house and halfway down the street in complete silence, before it was broken by Yasuhara.

"Sooo… what's up between you and Naru? Why were you sending him the evils earlier?"

"Leave it Yasu."  
>"Oooh, defensive. Have the lovebirds had a little spat?"<p>

"No… ye… we're… we're not, I mean me and him… we're not." Spluttered Mai.

"Mai, I am a man of many talents, but unfortunately I have not been graced with the ability to translate incoherent babble in to regular Japanese."

"Man, you sounded like Naru just then! What I was saying was that Naru and are NOT 'lovebirds'!"

"Of course you aren't." By this time they were entering the library and Mai was unable to reply. They walked over to the front desk, and Yasuhara started speaking.

"Hello, I was wondering whether you have any information on these people. We are distant relatives and were trying to research our family tree." The woman behind the desk began typing in the names that Yasuhara had written on a piece of paper in to her computer, and started reading something on the screen. She then looked up and smiled.

"We have a few records and newspapers on these people, if you would just like to follow me." She got up and squeezed herself out from between the desk and the wall. She bustled over to a part of the library with Mai and Yasuhara trailing behind, and they reached some filing cabinets. She unlocked the top drawer and pulled it open. She rifled through it for a moment, before triumphantly pulling out a bunch of papers and newspaper articles. She gave them to Yasuhara, who staggered slightly from the weight.

"May we check them out of the library?" Mai asked, ignoring the pleading looks from Yasuhara that was plainly asking her to help and take some of the weight.

"I'm sorry, they aren't allowed out of the library since they contain some personal information and we cannot risk them being lost."

"Okay, we will just make some notes then." Mai thanked the lady and walked over to a table with Yasuhara staggering behind her. They started sifting through the information, and soon Mai frowned.

"Yasu, I think that Chikako-san murdered her sister!"

"Yes, I had gathered that as well. But I think that she had a good enough reason."

"What is it?"

"Well, you know how she was accusing her sister of stealing her husband? Apparently, Kaoruko and Hachiuma bought this house together."

"Are you sure?"  
>"Well, Mai, the deeds are made out in their names."<p>

"But that doesn't make any sense! Hachiuma was married to Chikako, not Kaoruko! So why have they bought a house together?"

"Well, last night Chikako said that Kaoruko had stolen her husband from her, and presumably they had an affair. But I don't understand how that necessitates a _house_." Mai looked across to the wall where the librarian was sitting, and caught sight of the clock above the desk.

"Aw crap, Naru's going to mad if we don't get back soon!" Yasuhara glanced at the clock as well, and cursed. They had been in the library for nearly three hours, and they had hardly found out any information.

"Naru's probably going mad from tea withdrawal. I pity the others right now," said Yasuhara. He stood up and started gathering all the information. As he did so, a stiff piece of paper was dislodged, and it fluttered down to the ground. She picked it up scanned it, then reached across the table for her notebook, and scribbled something down.

"What is it Mai?" Yasuhara asked, peering round the stack of papers in his arms.

"A found a birth certificate. The father was Hachiuma and the mother was Kaoruko, and according to this they were married."

"This makes little sense. Let's put all these back," Yasuhara gestured to the papers in his arms, "and take our findings back to Naru." He staggered over to the filing cabinet and the lady at the desk, seeing what he was doing, came over and took the stack from him.

"I'll put them away. Did you find everything that you were looking for?"

"Yes, thank you." Yasuhara and Mai bowed to the lady who smiled back, and quickly left the library. They walked quickly back to the house and burst into base. Lin, Madoka and Naru were not there, and Ayako had Bou-san in a headlock, with John fluttering around trying to stop them.

"THIS'LL TEACH YOU WHO'S OLD!" Screeched Ayako.

"Let go of me, you old bat!"

"Ayako, please, Bou-san's going blue!" Said John frantically. Mai flopped on to the sofa next to Masako and watched as Yasuhara and John tugged at the priestess' arms, eventually freeing Monk who staggered over to the opposite sofa.

"Where's Naru?" Asked Mai to Masako, who sniffed and turned away. The door opened again, revealing Naru, Lin and Madoka. Mai scuttled out to make some tea just as Yasuhara started to tell everyone what they had found.

**Okay, so I know on my profile I wouldn't update this week, but I got bored.**

**This is the longest chapter I have ever written! Wahoo! **

**BTW, I was wondering whether to make this story a multi-case story, or a single case. Let me know what you guys think!**


	4. Chapter 4

Naru drummed his fingers on the desk. The information that Yasuhara and Mai had retrieved had not, as he had hoped made things clearer, but added a much more convoluted twist to the case. It was obvious that Chikako was one of the ghosts, and that she did have a reason to be vengeful, but why did the report say that Kaoruko and Hachiuma were married? And what was making the crying noise? He sighed, ran his hands through his hair yet again, and took a sip of the tea that Mai had brought him earlier before going to bed. He made a face when he realised that it was cold and stood up. Ignoring the inquiring look from Lin, he slipped out of base and made his way silently down the corridor. As he passed by a room, he heard a sobbing sound. Frowning, he opened the door and saw Mai sitting in the middle of the room, tears streaming down her face. All around her items were strewn, and when she heard the door open she looked up. Naru frowned. As far as he knew, there was no reason for her to look so sad, and she had been fine earlier when she had gone to bed.

"Mai? Are you okay?" Mai continued to look blankly at him, tears still cascading down her face. Naru looked at her more closely, and noticed that her eyes were different. Great. I now have to deal with a highly emotional ghost possessing a highly emotional girl. Naru sighed at his situation, and walked further in to the room. Mai's' eyes followed him warily, the tears still overflowing.

"Who are you?" Asked Naru, crouching down to Mai's level.

"My name is Sasaki Chikako. Please, you have to help me…"

"Did you just say that your name was Sasaki Chikako?"

"YES! My husband, Hachiuma, he said he would be back soon… please you have to help me, my son…"

"Sasaki-san, did you know that you passed away?"

"W…what? No… no… I can't have…"

"Sasaki –san, what happened? What are you searching for?"

"My son… he… he left me…" The tears, that had subsided, appeared again and started to fall. Naru's heart fell. He was never any good at dealing at this sort of thing, and he had never wished that Gene was there more than he did then.

"Hachiuma-san, what happened when you lost your son?" Mai's face screwed up, and when she spoke, her voice was filled with pure venom.

"She came, my sister. We were always rivals ever since we were little. She accused me of stealing her husband, but I didn't. I had always loved Hachiuma, and Hachiuma had always loved me. Unfortunately, my excuse for a sister also loved her, and she… she got him, and married him. Their marriage was short, and he left her… and came to me. We had been seeing each other secretly for a while, and when he left her we got married secretly. We… I… we bought this place, and soon after that, I had my son. We were so happy… but then my sister found out, and found us. She came when Hachiuma was still at work, and then… and then…" Mai broke down in to sobs again, and the bulb up ahead blew. Naru pulled Mai out of the way of the showering glass. Mai shuddered, and fell limp. Naru looked down, and found her sleeping. Scooping her up, he took her back to base and deposited her on the sofa. Lin was nowhere in sight, and Naru supposed that he had gone to bed. He sat back down on his seat, and reached for his cup, only to realise that he had not filled it. Banging his head in frustration, he turned and saw Mai gazing at him in slight confusion.

"Naru… Naru, what am I doing in base?"

"I found you. You were possessed."

"Oh." Mai scratched the back of her head. She abruptly felt wide awake, and an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She cleared her throat nervously, and picked at a thread at the hem of her pyjama top.

"Mai, go back to bed."

"Huh? Oh, no, it's okay, I'm not tired."

"Mai, go to bed."

"No." Naru glared at the girl, who glared back at him, folding her arms.

"Fine. But no slacking off tomorrow." Mai smiled, and watched him write in his notebook and read the files. The clock ticked loudly from the hallway, and apart from the scratching of Naru's pen, it was silent. The uneasy feeling intensified, and she moved down the sofa to near where Naru's chair was. She shivered, and abruptly felt tired. She lay her head on the arm of the sofa, and felt her eyes close. She fell in to an uneasy sleep, not dreaming but just hearing the gunshot and baby's cry going round in a loop. It stopped suddenly, and Mai woke up. A blanket that had been covering her slipped and fell to the floor, and Mai shivered at the sudden coldness of the night. Base was empty, and Mai looked nervously around the eerie room. A half empty teacup sat inconspicuously on the table, and the grandfather clock in the hallway ticked loudly. Mai stood up, her heart beginning to pound. She silently left base, and made her way down the pitch black corridor. She knew what she wanted- revenge. She patted her pocket, and felt the reassuring hard metal of her gun. She went past one room, and then came to the master bedroom. Opening the door, she saw the raised silhouette of her sister, rising and falling. She stepped further in to the room, and stepped on a floorboard, which creaked. The lump on the bed turned, and Mai watched in horror as the bed side lamp was switched on.

"YOU!"

Where's Akihiro? Where's my nephew?" Mai spat out the last word cold and a harsh, twisted smile forming on her lips.

"Chikako, you wouldn't want to keep secrets from your sister now, would you?" She sneered, and Chikako whimpered.

"Kaoruko, you aren't going to find him. He's not here, so go, just go. Please…" The woman broke down in sobs, but Mai felt no sympathy for her.

"Ah, yes, but sister dearest, you stole the person who I loved from me, and so now I'm going to steal the one you love. An eye for an eye, I believe."

"I didn't steal him! He was never yours to steal! It was me he loved, all along. He never loved you."

"LIAR! You stole him from me! He loved me and always has! I'm the one he married!"

"He never loved you, never…" her sentence was cut off by Mai planting a punch in to her jaw. Chikako winced in pain, but did not tear her eyes away from Mai. Suddenly, an infant's cry was heard. Chikako went deathly white, and Mai smiled evilly.

"Looks like your plan failed, sister dearest." Mai raced back out in to the corridor, Chikako racing behind her. Mai reached out an arm to grab at the door handle, but Chikako jumped on to her back, clawing at her. Mai spun wildly around, knocking Chikako off her feet. Wiping away a trickle of blood from her mouth, Mai looked on in satisfaction at Chikako, who lay motionless on the floor after hitting her head. Opening the room, Mai saw a blue bundle in the corner. The wailing that had been going on during the fight ceased a little, and Mai saw two, tear filled eyes staring at her. The anger started to ebb a little in Mai, and she walked over and scooped up the little bundle. The baby looked at her, and Mai felt herself unconsciously start to rock the blue lump in her arms. There was a groan coming from outside the door. Hoisting the small infant on to her hip Mai walked out the room. When she got to where Chikako lay, Mai glanced down at her, then at the wall. Unfortunately, a picture was placed there of Chikako and Hachiuma. Bile rose up in her throat, and the anger came flooding back. Taking out the gun, she pointed it at Chikako and pulled the trigger. The shot rang out throughout the house, and tears started to pour down Mai's face. Blindly, she turned, but tripped on a curtain tie, causing her to fall. She crashed down the stairs, and landed with a sickening crunch. Mai's eyes stared into the distance, blood pooling around her head. A single, solitary tear ran down her face, and she closed her eyes.

Mai woke up startled. For a moment she was disorientated, and a little confused. She sat up and looked around, before noticing Naru's eyes were fixed on her. A blush started to creep up her neck, and she looked away self-consciously.

"Mai, are you alright?"

"Ummm… sure, I guess. I just had a bad dream, that's all."

"Was it one of those dreams?"

"Sort of."

"What do you mean, 'sort of'?"

"Well, it didn't feel like a dream, it felt like it was real. It was quite creepy."

"What did you do in this dream?" Mai recounted the events that had happened in her dream, and Naru leaned back in his chair in thought. When she had finished, Naru picked up the cup on the table, and drank from it.

"Naru? What does it mean?"

"It means that I have finally solved the case. You need to go to sleep," he added as an afterthought. "You look tired."

"Well what about you? You just seem to be running on tea!" Naru's eyes narrowed fractionally before returning to his usual mask.

"Fine. You go to bed, I'll go to bed." He stood up and held the door open. Mai, seeing that she had been defeated, sighed before walking out of the open door. Naru quickly scanned base before following suit.

The next day, Mai and the others entered base noisily. Nauru growled; he had a splitting headache, and added noise was not welcome to him. Lin glanced at his young boss, and hid a smile, before returning his attention to his keyboard. As the noise increased, Naru's patience went down. Finally, he closed his black notebook with a loud slam. Silence instantly ensued, and Naru paused for a few moments enjoying the silence.

"Right. I have worked out who the ghosts are, and what they want. John, you will exorcise Kaoruko, which should then leave Chikako able to pass on successfully. Any questions?" No one answered. "Good. Matsuzaki-san, I want you to make up some protection charms to put up around the house. Meet back here after lunch." There was murmured assent as the various members dispersed. Mai found herself putting up the charms that Ayako and Masako had made with Yasuhara and Bou-san. After a while, the house was covered with the paper charms, and after admiring their handiwork, they went to lunch. When they arrived at the dining room, they found everyone apart from Naru and Lin, John already in his priest's clothes. They quickly ate their dinner and left back for base.

"John, we're doing the exorcism in the main bedroom upstairs. Mai and Yasuhara-san, stay here in base." Mai glared at Naru, but Yasuhara nudged her and grinned. They all left, and Mai sat in front of the monitors, watching as they entered the room and John stood in the middle. He pulled out his bible, and started chanting, sprinkling his holy water as he did so. The air seemed to shimmer around him, and soon Kaoruko appeared, glaring at them. Mai shivered, and unconsciously leaned towards the monitor. There was a 'poof' as Yasuhara sat down beside her. Suddenly Kaoruko disappeared, but John looked confused.

"Wait, where did she go?" asked Mai. Yasuhara just shrugged. There was a laugh from behind them. Slowly, Mai and Yasuhara swivelled round, a saw Kaoruko bearing down on them. She started to swoop on Mai, who sidestepped quickly.

"WAIT! If you kill us now, you'll never be able to see Hachiuma!" Kaoruko snarled, but paused, sadness instantly etched on her face.

"He left you didn't he? He went away from you to Chikako?" Mai continued. Kaoruko's expression was one of pure sadness.

"He… he left me. For my sister. HE never loved me; I was never loved, even as a child. Chikako always got the praise, always. One day, I was walking through the town with her, and Hachiuma was there. He smiled at me. Me, the one everyone hated, even my parents. From that moment on I was in love with him. We married, but three months later he left. It broke my heart, and it got shattered further when I found out it was Chikako whom he had gone to. I… I felt betrayed, and from that moment on, vowed to found them. I did, and discovered that they had had a baby, a son. I was instantly furious, and stormed out. I went back to kill the baby, who Chikako adored just as much as I had adored Hachiuma. But when I got there, I couldn't… I couldn't… I was going to leave, but I saw the picture of Hachiuma and Chikako, and I felt the rage return, and I killed Chikako. I was going to take the baby and love him and raise him, but on the way out I tripped and fell…" At this point, Kaoruko faltered and started to cry. Mai felt her heart go out to her.

"That was a long time ago. And the baby will be waiting for you, you just have to move on. Find it somewhere to forgive Chikako and Hachiuma, it will make you happier."

"I can't… I can't…"

"Sure you can. Just forgive them." Mai smiled, and Kaoruko tentatively smiled back. Soon the room was filled with a golden glow, and Kaoruko moved on. Mai sighed shakily, and turned back to the monitor. Another golden light came from where the others were, and Mai saw Chikako move on, a small bundle held close in her arms. Mai smiled, and then promptly fell asleep.

Yay, my first case finished! I don't really like the ending, it seems a bit cheesy. But that is life, and I can't be bothered to change it.

Sorry this took so long to write, but I was sort of focusing on Unhappy Birthday… and the next case… and another story… I wouldn't call it writer's block, just procrastinating.

The next case should be posted soon, I've already written most of it. I can't wait!

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

The teacup rattled as it perched precariously on top of a tray. Emi glanced at it, and bit her lip nervously. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she climbed the draughty staircase with bated breath. Finally, she reached the wooden door that led on to the more luxurious hallway that led to Mistress' room. She made her way along the thickly carpeted hallway, where she came to an ornately set of doors. She took a breath, shifted the tea tray to one hand, knocked on the door, and entered.

Emi gasped; she couldn't help it. The room that she had just entered was beautiful, and her eyes flitted around the darkened room. There was an intricate oriental rug on the floor, with a low table and a chintz armchair with golden gilding around the edges. A dressing table sat against the far wall, with a beautiful bureau opposite. A huge four poster bed dominated the room, with long silk red hangings and a red glow was cast about the room that was caused by the huge, sweeping red curtains drawn against the dark stormy day. A fire crackled in the grate, and in the elegant armchair, a haughty yet impressive looking woman sat imperiously. Emi took an involuntary gulp, and curtsied to the woman her knees shaking beneath her simple servant's kimono. The Mistresses' beady black eyes followed her as Emi placed the tea tray on to the small table, bowed and started to quickly back out of the room. She had almost made it to the door, and was about to turn and reach out gratefully for the handle.

"GIRL! Is this tea going to pour itself?" Emi's heart sank.

"N...no, mistress. I mean ma'am." She hurried back over to the table. Pouring the drink in to a cup, Mistress' harsh voice called out again.

"CAREFUL with those teacups. They were a present from the emperor himself." Unfortunately, this sudden exclamation caused Emi to jump again. Her fingers fumbled on the handle of the cup, and the delicate china slipped out of her hand and onto the floor, where it shattered with a small tinkling sound. Emi gaped in horror. She looked from the shards on the floor up to the cold, judging eyes of her mistress, who was staring at her with barely concealed fury.

"Get... out... now..."

Mai woke with a start. Shaking her head, she peeled her face away from the window of the car as she tried to organize her thoughts. She was interrupted from her procrastinating by Ayako smacking Monk over the head. She turned to see John grimacing beside her, and she grinned back.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, ignoring the yelling coming from the front.

"Yeah. Just... just a bad dream, that's all." She smiled reassuringly at him and turned to look at the scenery flashing by outside the window. They were headed to somewhere just outside Tokyo, after a lady had come to them with a case just two days after they had come back from the Chikako and Kaoruko case. Mai was glad that it was the school holidays and that she wasn't going to have to catch up on loads of work. Soon, Bou-san took the turning off the main road, his mouth mashed in to a tight line. Ayako was smiling smugly out of the window, and John had taken out a book.

When they reached the imposing house, Mai shivered. They all tumbled out, and Mai started to walk around the side of the house to where a smaller barn stood. She walked over to the open door, but there was a gust of wind and it slammed shut.

"MAI! Stop dawdling and help take in the equipment!" called Naru, who had paused at the top of the steps to the house. Mai poked her tongue out at him, before turning back to look at the barn door. Shrugging, she ran back over to where the others were and grabbed a monitor. She heaved it to the lobby of the house, and gazed around in awe. It was huge, with large staircases coming down from either side and joining in the middle. A small man stood in the center of the room She put the monitor down, and went to stand just behind Naru and Lin. The others came in carrying various forms of equipment apart from Masako and Ayako.

"Greetings. My name is Akamatsu Hiyato. My personal secretary contacted you a few days ago regarding this case. Please feel welcome to make any use of our facilities whilst you are here with us." He bowed, and the assembled SPR members bowed back. There was a creak on the stair case, and a girl aged about 16 appeared. She had dark brown hair drawn back into a sloppy ponytail, liquid dark brown eyes outlined by heavy black makeup and a haughty expression on her face. She was wearing black jeans and a black tee-shirt. Her eyes widened slightly when she caught sight of Naru, but they soon returned back to how they were before. She reached the bottom of the stairs, and folded her arms, staring at the group with disdain.

"So this is the bunch of ghost busters?" She asked, mockery lighting up her eyes. Mai silently fumed, and Yasuhara nudged her, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Natsuki! That is no way to talk to our guests. Apologize." Exclaimed Hiyato incredulously.

"Whatever. I'm going out." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. She shouldered past Masako, who stumbled on her long kimono. John reached out his arms automatically to catch her.

"Oh no you're not, young lady. You are grounded for the month, as you fully well know." Natsuki's eyes flashed with fury. Turning on her heel she stormed out of the room. Hiyato let out a long sigh.

"I apologize. I hope that she has not offended you. That was my daughter, Natsuki, as you can see, she can be... difficult. It's been even worse since her mother, my wife, passed away, but..." He left the sentence hanging, and looked down. There was an awkward silence that was broken by the sound of bashing coming from one of the many doors.

"Ah. Yes, that would be Natsuki... or the... problem. I understand that you will be requiring a base?"  
>"That is correct."<br>"I have a choice of two rooms for you. There is a larger one with lots of sockets on the first floor, or a smaller one with less sockets down on this floor."  
>"We will take the first room. If you could show us where the room is, my assistants will carry the equipment up." Naru replied, and Mai inwardly groaned. They followed the small man up one of the large staircases and reached a landing. They hurried down it, and came to an ornate wooden door. He opened it, and Mai's jaw dropped. The room was expansive, with several large sofas and a table with hard backed chairs seated around it. There was a huge window overlooking the grounds, and in the corner there was a small cupboard. Naru looked around, and nodded, seemingly satisfied.<br>"Yasuhara-san, Takigawa-san, John and Mai go and bring up the equipment. Hara-san and Matsuzaki-san, go around the house and see if you can sense anything." They left base, and went downstairs together. Masako and Ayako went through a door, and Mai picked up a monitor. She heaved it up the stairs and into base, before going back downstairs for the rest. Soon, all the equipment had been brought up, and Mai flopped onto one of the large sofas gratefully. Naru looked up from the table that he was sitting at.  
>"Mai, tea. Then go and find all the members of the house for interviewing." Mai jumped up again and crossed to the small kitchenette. She put the kettle on to boil, and whilst waiting, tapped her foot. She peered out of the window that overlooked the gardens, and craned her neck to see the barn that she had attempted to explore earlier. Masako and Ayako were still out of base, and as she peered down, she saw someone with a long kimono hurrying across the courtyard. She blinked, and the person disappered in an instant. Looking confused, she turned back to the room just as the kettle started to boil. She quickly made up the tea, and set it on the table. Naru took the cup and took a long sip from it. She then slipped quietly out of base, heading down the large staircase. She heard a sound coming from one of the rooms that led off of the entrance hall, and she walked across quickly and knocked on the door before entering the room. Inside there was Natsuki, who glared at Mai when she entered.<br>"Yes?" She asked coldly. Mai ignored her tone, after having got used to Naru talking to her like that.  
>"My boss, Shibuya-san, would like to interview everyone. So that we know who has experienced the ghost."<br>"Well, you people aren't interviewing me. So go away, and don't bother coming back." Mai turned to leave the room, before turning back around so that she was facing Natsuki.  
>"Why do you hate us so much?"<br>"Well how would you like some people that you've never met before take over your house, claiming that they can rid the house of ghosts, even though one of them could be your mother!"  
>"Well, we don't even know that the ghost could be your mother. And we need to talk to everyone to help us figure out who the ghost is."<br>"You wouldn't understand; you have most likely never lost anyone who you're close to."  
>"Actually, I have. I'm an orphan. I lost dad when I was little, and then lost my mother a few years ago."<br>"Oh."  
>"Mm. But I don't hold grudges against people, especially ones that I have hardly ever met. So can you come and let us interview you now?"<br>"I guess." Natsuki stood up and walked out of the room. Mai watched her go, a wave of sadness suddenly hitting her. She shook her head, pushing the feeling aside, before going off to find the other members of the household.

Mai tipped her head back in the chair that she was sitting on. She was, to say the least, bored. Very bored. She looked back out of the window into the rain that had started, and frowned as she saw the same person as earlier dart across the courtyard and enter the barn. Frowning, she stood up and grabbed her jacket and a torch.  
>"Ne, Naru? I'm just going to go and look at the barn." Before he could protest, Mai had slipped out of base and was already running down the stairs. She pulled up her hood and switched on the torch before wrenching open the door. She stepped out into the dark night, and raced round to the side of the house where the barn stood. Mai ran over to the building, pausing to catch her breath before opening the heavy doors. For some reason, her heart was pounding and she felt slightly apprehensive about going inside. A gust of cold air hit her, and nearly knocked her off her feet. Regaining her balance, Mai walked inside, the light from her torch casting huge shadows in the gloom.<br>"Hello? Is anyone there?" She swung her torch round, and heard a creak coming from behind her. She turned, and watched in a mixture of amazement and horror as the large doors to the barn slammed shut. An evil cackle resonated throughout the building, and Mai felt the air become even colder.

**Ooohh, a cliff hanger on a new case! Natsuki is sooo annoying. I hate her already. And I made her up. Anyway, I have already written nearly the whole of this case in my mind. And it's winter break now, so I can write more often! Ps- my freind (who proof reads my work) pointed out a mistake, but I can't find it! If you find one, just tell me and I'll change it... probably... **


	6. Chapter 6

Mai sat down on an old sack and stared dejectedly at the stone wall opposite her. Her teeth were chattering, and there were goose bumps on her legs.

A crash echoed from further down the barn, and Mai's heart leapt into her mouth. Holding her torch tightly in her hands, she crept towards the commotion. She pulled aside an old sack, and a cat shot out.

Letting out a shuddery breath, Mai sank down to the floor with relief. There was a sudden smash, and Mai ducked and shielded herself as the glass shattered and rained down.

There was a sobbing sound from one of the corners, and Mai swung her torch round. The light cast eerie shadows on the walls, the rain blew in from the now bare windows. Mai edged carefully to the sobbing noise, taking care to avoid the broken glass on the floor. She searched each corner thoroughly, and although the noise did not subdue, there was nothing there. Confused, Mai turned to go back to sitting next to the door, but she slipped and fell, knocking her head in the process. The room swam, and soon was replaced by blackness.

_Mai hurried down the road, drawing her shawl about her as the rain lashed down. She dodged as a carriage splashed past her, but the hem of her black kimono still got soaked. Another coach drew up, and the driver called down to her._

_"Would you like a lift? I'm going as far as the town." Mai nodded, and the man helped her up, before getting the horses to move again._

_"I've never seen you round here before."_

_"I'm one of the serving girls up at the big house."_

_"Ah. No wonder I haven't seen you before," he muttered, barely audible over the roaring of the wind._

_Mai and the boy sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the journey. Once they had reached the gates of the town, the coach stopped to allow Mai to jump down._

_"Thanks."_

_"No problem." Whistling, the man drove the coach towards an inn near the gates, and Mai slipped inside the town._

Mai woke up, but didn't open her eyes. She was vaguely aware that there were voices muttering quietly in the distance, but most of her mind was focused on the fact that she was lying on a bed. A very comfortable bed at that, and she didn't want to wake up.

The voices got louder, and Mai frowned in annoyance. In the end, she woke up, and screwed her eyes against the bright light. The voices turned out to be Ayako and Bou-san bickering quietly in the corner. She wiggled deeper under the warm covers, the sound of the rain comforting her. Ayako whacked Bou-san over the head, and the monk groaned. Mai giggled quietly, and Ayako snapped round instantly at the sound.

"Mai! How're you feeling?" Mai attempted to sit up, but the room started to swim, and she lay back down again quickly.

"Woozy," she admitted, and Ayako clucked her tongue in a motherly way. Mai yawned, and peered around the room.

"Um, Ayako, where am I?"

"You're in one of the bedrooms."

"Oh." There was a small pause, and Mai traced the pattern on the duvet, thinking. "Ayako? Where's Naru?"

"Oooohhh… I wonder what it is that you have to tell him," said Yasuhara from the corner, mischief lacing his tone. Mai went red, and Bou-san snickered quietly to himself.

"Um… not like that. I had a dream."

"I'm sure you did. You'll have to get in there quick before Natsuki does though," commented Bou-san.

"Shut up Bou-san. Naru's in base. Do you want me to get him?" Mai nodded, and Ayako quietly left the room. Mai sat up again slowly, and to her relief the room stayed still. She crossed her legs, and looked around again. The room was very much like the one on her first dream with the empress, except that the clutter had been removed with only the bed, two armchairs and a large wardrobe in the corner remaining. Yasuhara and Bou-san currently occupied the two armchairs, and judging from the fact that there was a slight crease in the covers; Mai assumed that that was where Ayako had been sitting. She rubbed her eyes to dislodge some of the sleepy dust in them, and stretched. She scratched the back of her head, before noticing the unnatural quiet. She looked over to the armchairs, and saw that Yasuhara was staring at her with a calculating expression on his face. When he caught her looking at him, his face cracked into an evil grin.

"Soo… how are you Mai?"

"F-fine…"

"Oh, really Mai? Even with this Natsuki-san out to win dear Naru-chan's heart?"

"It's bad enough having just one suitor," continued Bou-san.

"But to have _two_ rivals…"

"Deary me, Emi-"

"Mai."

"Pardon?"

"My name is Mai." Mai looked curiously at Bou-san. His eyes had the same deadened look to them that indicated that he was possessed. Bou-san stood up and walked towards the bed, and Mai scrambled off it. Yasuhara crossed the room quickly where the door was, whilst Bou-san continued to advance on Mai.

"MAI! Quickly, get to the door!" Mai ran over to where Yasuhara was standing. Bou-san backed them up to the door, and Mai reached behind her for the door handle. She found it and yanked it open, stumbling over the threshold just as the monk lunged for her.

Yasuhara and Mai started to run crazily down the corridor, and a stitch started to form in Mai's chest. They sprinted towards the staircase, and flew down the stairs. She carried on going down, down, down, but there was no end to them. Her feet stumbled, and she started falling down the endless flight. As she fell, Mai uttered a scream of panic and shut her eyes tight. Several pairs of footsteps were heard.

"MAI!" Her eyes flew open and she saw Naru peering over her. Mai scrambled upright, but pain seared in her ankle and she almost fell down again.

"We have to get out of here!" She screamed, steadying herself and using Naru as a sort of crutch. She let go of him and attempted to limp down the hallway, but she swayed where she was and started to fall again. Naru instinctively caught her. Under normal circumstances Mai would've blushed, but right then she was more concerned about putting as much distance between herself and Bou-san.

"Mai, what is going on?"

"I... Dream... Ayako went to find you... Bou-san... Possessed... Running... Owwww!" she cried as she tried to stand on her legs again.

"Mai, what are you talking about?" Mai took a deep breath as Ayako came over to her and supported her around the waist.

"Naru, I had a dream, and I woke up, and then Ayako went to find you. Whilst she was gone, Bou-san became possessed, and was chasing us. We have to get away from here…" When she had finished speaking, there was a small pause before Naru spoke.

"Matsuzaki-san, take Mai to the hospital and get her leg checked out. John, Lin, you go and exorcise Takigawa-san. Yasuhara-san, you go with them. Hara-san, do you know where he is?" The medium lifted her sleeve up to her mouth before answering.

"It is hard to tell where he is. The ghost is concealing himself from me."

"Fine. You go with Mai and Matsuzaki-san."

"What about you Naru?" Asked Mai, her face pale from the pain. Naru studied her, before walking towards the door.

"I guess he's coming with us then," muttered Ayako.

"He could've said," Mai replied angrily. Ayako murmured her agreement, before helping the injured girl to hobble towards the door. Masako trailed behind them, leaving behind John and Lin. They watched them go, before turning to get ready for the exorcisms.

Several hours later, Mai came tapping into the house on her newly acquired crutches. The others followed in behind her, and somehow they managed to get upstairs into base. When they got there, they found Bou-san, unconscious, tied to a chair. John was holding a bloody handkerchief to his nose, and there were several cuts on his cheek. Lin was watching Bou-san and there was a cut on his lip. Yasuhara had a black eye, and was also eyeing Bou-san warily.

"Whoa…. What happened?" asked Mai as she sat down.

"They… started attacking us," said Lin, his eyes narrowing as he observed his captives. "Brown-san tried to exorcise them, once we had found them, but then they became violent."

"And how come he is unconscious?" Asked Ayako, sitting down next to Mai.

"I put a charm on them. I thought that that would be best." Naru nodded, and reached for his file and started to read. Mai tipped her head back, completely bored. Yasuhara poked her in the side.

"How's your ankle?" He asked.

"Sprained it. How's your eye?" Yasuhara grimaced in response.

"Mai, tea. Take Matsuzaki-san with you." Mai scowled at Naru, before grabbing her crutches and hobbling off, Ayako following behind her. When they reached the kitchen, they found Natsuki standing at the counter.

"What happened to you?" She asked, a sneer evident on her face.

"I fell," Mai replied simply, as she leant against the sink and filled up the kettle. She put it on to boil, and Ayako got a cup out.

"Is your boss back yet?"

"He went with us, so yes." Natsuki dumped her glass in the sink beside Mai, and flounced out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Mai watched with an ever darkening face, and waited for the door to shut before speaking.

"Ugh! She's so… full of herself," exclaimed Mai in an exasperated tone, searching for the right word. "'Is your boss back yet?' Do you think I would be making tea if he wasn't? And what is up with her sneering? She's worse than what Masako was like!"

"Are you sure it isn't jealousy?" Ayako asked, inspecting her nails.

"What? No. Don't be stupid. Why would I be jealous? She's just… ugh." Mai settled for the sound to describe her feelings towards the girl, and she turned to complete the tea.

"Well, she obviously likes Naru as well."

"As well as what?"

"Mai, you're not fooling anyone." Mai slumped a little, but then straightened up again.

"It's got to be more than that. She was condescending of us when we first got here. Don't you remember? She called us 'ghost busters'."

"Well, she probably doesn't want complete strangers overtaking her home and putting cameras up everywhere."

"But still! Jeez!" Mai opened the door for Ayako, who was carrying the tea, and stalked off down the corridor and back towards base. Ayako hurried after her, and soon they were nearing the door. Suddenly, they heard shouting coming from down by the front door. Mai and Ayako jumped, and the door opened and various members of SPR came running out. They all looked at each other, then they heard another shout and they rushed to the top of the stairs.

There, Natsuki was holding onto her father, tears pouring down her face and smudging her heavy black make up.

"Please…Dad… HELP!"

**Finally, the wait is over. Sorry it took so long. I actually wrote the first part of it in a maths lesson a while ago. When the teacher came round to check on our work, he said "Hodgeheg seems to be writing an essay!" and then walked off. I tend to write on anything once I have an idea… including a receipt, so if he was going to give us all some lined scrap paper, I am bound to write/doodle on it. It's instinctive. At least he didn't yell at me.**

**Please review!**

**Hodgeheg**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: For all those who forgot what happened in the last chapter and can't be bothered to reread it (I don't mind; I forgot what happened and I'm the author!) then here is a little recap:  
>Mai sprained her ankle and is now on crutches.<br>Bou-san is chained up because he is possessed by a violent spirit.  
>Natsuki is being a bitch (no change there).<br>And Hiyato is unconscious (Natsuki's dad).  
>I think that's everything… now, on to the chapter.<strong>

The various SPR members stared down at the sobbing Natsuki, who had her father's head resting on her lap. They stood frozen for a second, before the sound of running footsteps snapped them out of it. Mai looked round as a maid appeared at one of the many doorways leading off of the large hallway.

"I thought I heard a scream," she puffed, before following the gazes of those on the stairs. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"Akamatsu-sama! What happened? Natsuki-san, are you okay?" Natsuki nodded, and Mai raised an eyebrow at the lack of teenage retort.

"Akamatsu-san, we need to know what happened to your father," came the monotone of Naru's voice. "Mai, tea."

"Ne, Naru, I already made some." Naru's eyes narrowed fractionally.

"Fine. Then we will go straight to base."

"What about Bou-san?" asked Yasuhara. Naru struggled to hold in an exasperated sigh.

"Akamatsu-san, is there anywhere where we can interview you?"

She sniffled, and then nodded. "Y-yes. We can go into the library if you would like."

"Matsuzaki-san, call an ambulance and then wait with…" he glanced at the maid.

"H-hana. Satake Hana."

"Wait with Satake-san for the ambulance, and go with them whilst they take Akamatsu-san to the hospital."

"Hai. Is there a telephone?" she asked Satake, who jumped, nodded, and scurried off, Ayako following her.

"Mai, Lin, you're with me. Yasuhara-san and John, go check on Takigawa-san, and then prepare for an exorcism." They nodded, and left the room, too.

"Akamatsu-san, where is this library?"

"F-follow me." She led them down the stairs and through one of the doors into a maze of corridors that Mai soon gave up on hoping to follow. Eventually they came to a heavy oak door that Natsuki opened softly. Mai's eyes were huge as she took in the large room, filled to the brim with books. There were a few armchairs in the centre of the room in front of a large, carved fireplace. Mai hobbled over to the seats when a searing pain surged through her forehead, making her stumble. Naru looked over at her, but Mai just smiled and sat down, trying to ignore the pain.

"Akamatsu-san, what happened?" Natsuki lifted her head up from her hands. Her face was still pale, but she was no longer crying. She opened her mouth and started talking quietly in a low clear tone.

"I was coming back from the kitchen after getting some juice. My father called me into the drawing room; he wanted to talk to me. I ignored him and went upstairs, and he followed me. Then there was a sudden rush of cold air. It almost knocked me over, but I was on the landing at that point and I grabbed onto the railing. But then I heard a thud from behind me and I turned around, and Dad was lying at the bottom of the stairs. I screamed, and then you guys turned up."

Mai frowned as she tried to follow all of this, rubbing her forehead with her hand. Yasuhara glanced over at her questioningly, but Mai shook her head.

"Akamatsu-san, has anything like this happened before?" Natsuki opened her mouth, closed it again, before opening it once more.

"Y… yes. My mother, she… she fell down those same stairs. But she was ill and weak at the time; we just assumed that she fell due to her illness."

"What was her illness?" Natsuki shook her head.

"I'm afraid I don't know, I was never told. All I know was that she was very ill and very weak."

Naru pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. There was a slightly awkward silence in the room, broken only by the faint scratching of Lin's pen on paper. Just as Mai wondered whether she needed to check that Naru hadn't turned to stone, his eyes flew open and the hand removed itself from his face.

"Yasuhara-san, gather all the people who work here. I need to question them. Again." Yasuhara stood up and slipped out of the room.

"Akamatsu-san, do you know where your family's health records are?" She nodded. "I need them." She, too, left the room, and Naru stood up.

"Lin, when Akamatsu-san returns, you and Mai go through the records. Find out when this… illness first occurred, and anything else about it. Then go through the other health records, search for similar symptoms."

"Hai."

"Ne, Naru, where are you going?" Mai asked.

"To find John. I need to interview the ghost."

"I'll come with you." Lin had stood up and was returning the glare that Naru was giving him.

"… Fine." Mai watched them start to leave, but then jumped up as well. Both men turned to her, questioning looks on their faces.

"There is no way that I'm staying here on my own. Have you looked at my past record regarding ghosts?"

Naru stalked out of the room, leaving Mai to hobble victoriously after him. Oh, she loved being right when it came to him.

*o*o*o*

When they got to the room, Mai sat down as near to the door as possible. John was standing near her, and Lin had immediately gravitated to his laptop, leaving Naru to stand in front of Bou-san, looking down at the long-haired monk.

"Who are you?" Bou-san's facial features shifted into a superior expression as he voiced the question, staring unwaveringly at Naru.

"My name is Kazuya Shibuya. Who are you?"

"I am Hatoyama Mami, of the Hatoyama family who owns all of the land around here. What is your business in my house?"

"Hatoyama-san, can you tell me what happened to you?"

"INSOLENT CHILD! You will answer my question! And how dare you lower me to your lowly status."

"Very well, Hatoyama-sama. My team and I are investigators." Bou-san sniffed, and sat back imperiously.

"Very well. Now that you have answered my question, I shall answer yours. My family owned all of the land around here - my grandfather was a very important man to the emperor. I was the only child, and naturally when my parents died, I inherited the estate, servants along with it. However, not even all the money in the world can buy eternal health and as I became older, I became very ill and died."

"How did you die?"

Bou-san gave Naru a look that plainly read 'idiot'. "I was sick. I just mentioned that, were you not listening?"

"I was asking for specific details."

"Enough talking. I have answered your question, and now I will take my leave." There was a rush of wind, and Bou-san slumped forward in his chair, the ropes preventing him from completely falling to the floor. He sat up and opened his eyes, blinking them rapidly and groaning groggily.

"W-what happened?"

"You were possessed," said Naru, already moving away from the man. John hurried over and untied the monk, who rubbed his wrists appreciatively.

"Lin? Did you get all of that?"

"Yes."

"Good. Bring your laptop - we may as well question the maids. Yasuhara-san can help Mai go through the records. Takigawa-san, John, take temperature readings and check the tapes." There were nods around the room and the various inhabitants dispersed to their various jobs. Mai grabbed her crutches and made her way slowly over to the large table in the middle of the base. There was a knock at the door and Natsuki entered, carrying the health records of the family.

"Taniyama-san?"

"Just call me Mai."

"Okay. Here are the records that your boss asked for."

"Thanks. Could you put them on the table, please? As you can see, I can't really move very well at the moment." Natsuki nodded and dumped the files on the table. Mai pulled the top one towards her, and after a while noticed that Natsuki was still standing there, shifting her weight from each foot awkwardly.

"Um… yes?" Mai cringed at how that sentence sounded like Naru, but with an added 'um'.

"Er… can I… can I help? It's just that I never found out what my mother died of, and I want to know. Plus, if you needed anything else, I would be able to find it for you."

"Sure! Yasuhara should be here soon as well to help, but the more people the quicker the work gets done," Mai said. When Natsuki let out a slight breath in relief, she felt a pang for the girl, because Mai had at least known what her mother had died of.

There was a sudden pang of pain in her forehead, and Mai dropped the pen she was using to make notes with to clutch said forehead. Natsuki looked up at the gasp Mai had made, concern evident on her face.

"Are you… are you okay?"

"Sure, I'm fine. Just a little tired." At that moment, the ground seemed to be rushing towards her, and Mai fell to the floor with a thud, completely unconscious.

**Heheheh… hello. I'm sorry. That's all I can say. And this: TAKE THAT, WRITER'S BLOCK!**

**I have many excuses as to why this chapter took months to write/update. Here are my favourites:**

**Lent. All I'm saying… (I gave up posting, if you must know).**

**Homework. Exams. I am so beyond overworked at the moment, the line for being overworked is far, far in the distance. You have to squint to see it. **

**Family. Our family is super crazy and stressed at the moment.**

**As mentioned above, stress. So much so I've been waking up (naturally) before 6 am every day for the past three weeks… add school onto that, and the things mentioned in 2, then you get a very tired me. **

**Naruto fanfiction. I have spent my free time in indulging in various plot bunnies of mine and reading other people's stories. I have about 20 new stories (okay, so exaggerating a little there) most of which won't be posted. Ever.**

**Writer's block. Of the worst kind; I had no ideas and little interest in this story for ages. Eventually I sat down and rattled out this…**

**Stupid adverts on youtube, wasting my time by making me click on the skip ad button… okay, so that's not a real reason.**

**So yeah… sorry. And the next chapter (or any chapter on any story tbh) won't be for at least another month as I have exams in three week's time, and I really have to revise. Three of them are really important… but after that, I'm all free to write! ^^**

**Please Review… if anyone was kind enough to not give up on me…**

**Hodgeheg**


	8. Chapter 8

Mai looked around her. The usual darkness was different, the atmosphere thicker somehow and it was suffocating. Looking through it was like trying to peer through thick, dense fog, and that although she could dimly make out various grey blobs, they did not take on any specific form. She was abruptly aware of just how cold she was, and she shivered, wishing she had more than the thin material of the plain black yutaka she was wearing… wait. When she had fallen unconscious, she had been wearing a skirt and long sleeved jumper, neither of which were black- she wasn't Naruto. So where the hell had the yutaka come from? Was she dreaming? And if so, why was she not watching- or taking part in- the scene that she was supposed to be witnessing?

As if on cue, one of the shapes finally morphed into Gene. Gene had his back to her and appeared to be watching something intensely. Mai floated over to him and caught her breath as she saw the scene displayed in front of her. She saw her own body lying on a bed, pale and unconscious. Ayako was hovering next to her, smoothing down blankets and taking temperatures. Mai looked up and saw Emi, the girl from her dream, staring at her through the window. Mai turned back to Gene.

"Ne, Gene, who's that at the window?"

"Who? Mai, there's no one there." Mai gazed back at said window and was astonished to see that the girl had disappeared.

"I swear that there was someone there."

"Well there isn't anyone there now." Mai turned away with an 'hmph', her arms crossing in front of her chest childishly. She then sat down- or sat as best you could if you were floating in a grey cloud like substance- and folded her legs neatly underneath herself.

"Gene, if I'm here but also there, and this isn't a dream, am I… am I dead?" Gene frowned, but shook his head.

"No. At least, I'm ninety per cent sure you aren't."

"Oh yeah, 'cos ninety is _really _reassuring."

"I only say that because if you were dead, then your body wouldn't be there and I don't think you would be wearing a yutaka. You'd be wearing what you died in."

"You're a maid. That's why you're wearing the yutaka."

"What?" Mai whirled around, and saw Emi standing there. "I'm not a maid. I'm a paranormal investigator." Emi frowned.

"Yes you are. All maids and servants where those black yutakas. It's the uniform." Mai shook her head at the ludicrousness of it all.

"Um, I'm definitely not a maid. I'm still at high school!" Emi blinked at her, confused. She opened her mouth to speak, but there was a loud ringing noise.

"C'mon, that's Mistress-sama! We have to go now, or she'll get mad!" Emi grabbed Mai's hand and dragged her out of the room and into another, one that had been closed off when Mai and the rest of SPR had been shown around the house. When they entered the room, there was a large woman sitting imperiously in a gilt framed armchair. Emi dropped in to a curtsey, forcing Mai to do so as well as Emi was still clutching Mai's hand.

"Ah, Emi. I have a… job for you. You need to go into town, I require a few things." The stately looking woman held out a list, and Emi took it.

"N… now, ma'am?"

"Yes, you intolerable idiot! Now!" Emi gulped, curtseyed once again and hurried out of the room. Mai followed quickly after her.

"So… what are you doing now?"

"I have to get the things for Mistress-sama."

"But it's pouring with rain!" protested Mai, gesturing to a window. Emi looked at her.

"Mistress-sama requires these things. And she wants them now. We have to go and get them, even if it is pouring with rain."

"Fine. But why am I here? Why couldn't she see me? And where has Gene gone?" Emi scuffed her foot and looked down sheepishly.

"Well… I brought you here. I just… I need to tell you what happened."

"But why? Couldn't you have just told us, or sent me a dream?" fear flitted across Emi's face as she glanced nervously around.

"N… no. I mean… Mistress-sama told me not to contact you. She forbade it, to be precise."

"Oh."

"So I had to force you into a semi-dead state, so that I could talk to you."

"Right. So… what is that you want to speak to me about?"

"Our deaths." Mai paled. She hated this part of her job. "About 100 years ago, maybe even more, I started working in this house. I came from a family of all girls, my father having died when I was younger, and so working in big houses was the only job I could do to bring money into the family. Mistress-sama was a very important person, a daughter of a diplomat, but she never married. Because of this, her father gave her this house and she lived off her allowance provided to her by her father, and when he died she inherited his estate. She was… a very proud woman, and very influential. She often had meetings with the emperor, and he often sent her gifts.

'I was sent here to work as a housemaid to her, running errands and providing her with the things that she wanted. I was her… personal maid, if you will. You would have thought that for someone so important, all those in my profession would have wanted to work as a personal maid for her, but it was not so. She drove everyone away with her haughty manner, you see, or ended up dismissing them.

'Not long after I had started working here, I was sent with a cup of tea into her drawing room. The tea service had been a gift to her from the emperor himself, and she was very proud of it. Unfortunately, she startled me and I broke it by accident. Mistress-sama was furious, and I was afraid that she would fire me.

'She didn't, although I suppose now that would have been kinder. She instead sent me on an errand, to the nearest town, in a similar way to the scene that you have just seen now. On the way there, she spied on me and saw me taking a lift from a coach driver who was kind enough to take me as far as the nearest town. It was raining, you see, harder than it is today and the town was so far away…

'When I got there, I searched everywhere for the thing that she had sent me for, but it was nowhere to be found and I realised that she had tricked me. By now it was getting late, almost dark, and I had to get back to the house so that I could help with the dinner. She had important guests round that night, you see.

'It took me a long time to reach the house again, as it was late and I was very tired. However, Mistress-sama had ordered the kitchen doors to be locked, and when I got there I was unable to get in. I tried knocking, but Mistress-sama had told another in passing about seeing me with the coach driver. The other maid was jealous, she wanted my position you see, and she knew about the stable boy hoping to catch my eye. She told the other servants, and so they would not let me back inside. Instead, I went to the barn.

'That night, it was freezing cold, and I was already soaked from having to walk all that way in the rain. They found my body the next morning.

'I was angry at Mistress-sama, angry for the way she had treated me. I wanted to stop her from harming anyone else, as to me she had effectively killed me. By this point, she was ill from a disease that could never be cured, and so I… I… I killed her. And ever since that day, we have been chained together, me as her servant forever." Emi finished her tale and looked up at Mai with big, round eyes.

"I see. So you killed each other, effectively?" Emi nodded, and looked down.

"I'm sorry that I sent you into this state. You can go back now, if you wish, but you must tell the others. I am tired of serving Mistress-sama. It was wrong of me to kill her, I know, but I have served my time here and just want to rest…" her voice trailed off and tears filled her eyes. Mai smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry. We'll find a way to help you." Emi nodded, smiling as well. "But first I have to go back."

"Right. Well, you sort of… well… need to climb back into your body."

"WHAT?"

"It's the best way I can describe it! Just lie down where your body is, and focus really hard on being able to be part of the body." Mai looked disdainfully at Emi, but did as she asked. As she focused on becoming part of her body, she became aware of a strange buzzing in her head. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw the ceiling. She sat up and looked behind her; miraculously, her body moved at the same time. She was then nearly knocked back over by a hug from Ayako, Bou-san and Yasuhara. When she was finally released, she turned to face Naru.

"I have something to tell you."

**Aha! So she's not dead! *grins insanely* Sorry this took so long, but this account combined with my other means that I am writing a total of ten stories at once… which is a lot. So please don't shoot.**

**Also, my little Lullaby's one year old and three days! Happy Birthday, Lullaby! XD**

**Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

"So what you're saying is that there are two ghosts, both of which killed each other and are now chained together?"

"Yup. That's about right," said Mai, confirming Bou-san's question and leaning back in her seat. The members of SPR had convened in base to listen to Mai's semi-dream. A pot of once steaming and now rapidly cooling tea sat on the low, round coffee table and a fire had been lit, casting a warm glow around its vicinity.

"So what next boss?" asked Yasuhara, the firelight glinting off his glasses. Naru was silent as he contemplated the next course of action. Suddenly, his head snapped from where he had absent-mindedly been studying his fingers.

"John, exorcise Hatoyama-sama in the hallway in front of the stair way. Takigawa-san and Hara-san, you will assist. Matsuzaki-san, Yasuhara-san and Mai, make sure that there is no one in the house other than myself, Lin, Takigawa-san and John. You will also be required to leave during the exorcism. Any questions?" Mai resisted the urge to put her hand up as if she was in school with difficulty.

"Um… Naru, what about Emi?"

"Mai, when I asked if there were any questions, I did not mean idiotic questions with obvious answers like that. Now, if you are all finished wasting time, then we can start preparing for the exorcism." He stood up and headed for the door, as did everyone else. Mai scowled at Naru's back and, making sure that he _definitely _wasn't looking, poked her tongue out at his retreating form.

0o0o0o0o0

Mai sat outside on a convenient bench the overlooked the front of the house, poking the muddy ground with a stick and feeling thoroughly bored. They had been waiting, along with the few maids that were present in the house, for nearly half an hour and so far nothing dangerous or remotely interesting had happened.

"Jeez, I'm so bored," complained Yasuhara, flopping down beside Mai.

"I didn't know that you could get bored," commented Ayako, inspecting a nail for a hint of a microscopic chip.

"Sure I do. When waiting for buses, in a lecture, in a conversation with Lin…" Mai rolled her eyes, and Ayako huffed.

"Well, this is nothing new. When there are no clients, I end up sitting all day at a desk. In silence. Naru never says anything more than 'tea' to me, and I don't think Lin has said more than ten words since I started."

"Well that's ten times more than me. Ours is a very strained relationship."

"I thought that you were in a relationship with Bou-san?" asked Ayako, letting her hand fall into her lap. Yasuhara put on an expression of extreme suffering.

"Oh, I wish. He seems very reluctant to declare his love, it is getting very tiring. I think that he is avoiding me." Just then there was a loud crash from inside the house. One of the maids, Hana, shrieked and the three ghost hunters looked up.

"Should we…" started Mai.

"I think that maybe we should…" continued Ayako.

"If we went in now, wouldn't Naru just be angry at us?" pointed out Yasuhara.

"Nothing new there for me then. He _always _seems mad at me," said Mai. There was another crash, followed by a loud thud. Mai sprang up.

"I'm going to find out what's going on. You can come if you want to, or just stay here." With that she sprinted for the house. Yasuhara and Ayako looked at each other.

"It's not like much is happening out here." With that he took off after Mai. With a long suffering sigh, Ayako also stood up, and after instructing the maids to stay where they were, followed Mai and Yasuhara.

Mai cautiously opened the front door that led to the area where the exorcism was taking place. A figure of the women that she had seen in her dream was standing at the top of the stairs, her face contorted with rage. She seemed to be trying to knock John out, who was doing his best to perform the exorcism. Several smashed vases and pots were strewn on the staircase, and Bou-san and Lin were trying to restrain the angry ghost. Naru was standing at the bottom of the staircase, Masako next to him. She seemed not to notice his stiff posture, and to the trained eye you could see that he was leaning away from her. Mai ducked as another vase was thrown at her head, and it shattered as it hit the door. Naru turned around and glared at Mai.

"I thought I asked you to stay outside. It's too dangerous in here."

"So how come you, Masako, Bou-san, Lin, and John are allowed to stay?" Naru ground his teeth together.

"Fine. You can stay here, as long as you are silent and don't get in the way." Mai smiled triumphantly as Naru turned his back on her once again. A low wind started to build up around the room, getting colder and more and more ferocious. The lights started flickering, and John was pushed backwards towards the stairs. He grabbed onto the bannister rail behind him, clinging on to it so that he didn't fall. Bou-san started chanting and Ayako took up the nine cuts. Mai copied her, and Lin called for his shiki. They managed to bind the ghost, trapping her long enough for John to regain his footing and let go of the bannister.

There was a loud shriek, and finally the violent ghost was exorcised. The wind died back down again, leaving everyone's hair fully windblown, but thankfully no one was injured. Masako's head snapped up, and she peered towards the direction of one of the rooms that led off the landing. Mai also looked in that direction, and saw Emi peering around the doorway. The girl smiled, mouth 'Thank you' to Mai and the others, and disappeared in a glow of golden light. A sigh of relief escaped Mai's lips, and Bou-san flopped down where he was standing, tipping his head back.

"Man, she did _not _want to leave," he commented. John quietly slipped away to change back into his normal clothes, and Naru stalked towards base.

"Clean this mess up," he instructed, just before he left the entrance hall. Mai scowled at his back.

"Stupid, self-loving narcissist," she muttered, as she stooped to pick up some of the bigger shards of pottery.

"But that's why you love him," said Yasuhara, before flinching as Mai mock punched him a little harder then she intended.

When the mess was cleared up, Naru observed the others (apart from Lin) loading the equipment into the van, his arms crossed. Mai heaved a large box that was full of cables into the van, before walking over to Naru, her eyes narrowed.

"You knew all along, didn't you?"

"Know what?"

"That Emi couldn't move on until Hatoyama-san had been exorcised."

"I suspected something along those lines, yes."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Naru looked down at her.

"Mai, it was obvious. Anyone with more than two brain cells could've figured it out." With that, he walked to the entrance of the house where Akamatsu-san and Natsuki were standing, leaving Mai to wonder whether she had just been insulted or not. In the end, she decided that no, no she wasn't. Upon deciding that, she too walked up to the house. Natsuki saw her, and stepped away from her father.

"Thank you, you know, for everything." Mai blinked at this sudden change of character.

"No problem. It's our job after all."

"Yeah, but still… look, about the stuff I said before, ignore it okay? I'm sorry, I don't really mean any of it. It's just, since Mum's died, I haven't really had anyone to talk to."

"I understand. It's fine. I'm glad that your dad is okay."

"Me too."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Mai swivelled around her seat, utterly bored. It was little more than a week after the Emi case, but there was something that was still bothering her. After a small internal debate on whether it was worth bothering Naru about it, she got up and took a cup of tea into the Lair of Naru.

"Um… Naru? Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," responded said person, not looking up from his book. Mai bit back her angry retort, and put the tray down on the desk.

"You know when Emi knocked me out? Well, she said that she had pulled me into a semi-dead state. What is that exactly, and how does it work?"

"A semi-dead state is when you are still breathing and your heart is still beating, but mentally and spiritually you are dead. It is akin to near death experiences. And no one is really sure how it works," Naru said, still without looking up from his book.

"Oh. Well thanks." There was a silence.

"If you have no more questions, then I suggest that you go back to your work so that I can continue with mine," he suggested. Mai frowned.

"Fine then, Bat."

"… what did you just call me?"

"Bat. It's so dark in here all the time, you're practically nocturnal. Oh, and this is practically a Batcave as well."

"Mai, your idiocy never ceases to amaze me."

"And your rudeness never ceases to amaze me," countered Mai. Naru rolled his eyes.

"If you have nothing better to do than stand here and annoy me all day, then I can give you more work to do." Mai's eyes widened, and then fled from the 'Batcave'. Naru sighed in contentment at finally having the office back to himself again, and he returned to his book.

**A/N: Sorry that this is short, but it's an exorcism chapter and nothing tends to happen in them. :P But, I really like my next case, so yay! Plus you get this a few days early as I am feeling generous.**


	10. Chapter 10

Mai rushed into the office, a swirl of leaves following her. She took off her coat and hung it on the pegs that stood by the front door, running a quick hand through her windswept and bedraggled hair. She crept as silently as she could towards the kitchenette, hoping with all her heart that Naru hadn't noticed that she was late. To be fair, it wasn't completely her fault, as she hadn't forced her sensei to overrun and then for the train that took her from school to work to be full. Mai sighed as she waited for the kettle to boil, allowing her mind to relax slightly. She hadn't been yelled at the moment that she had put one door over the threshold; maybe she would get away with it. Oh, how naïve she was…

"Mai. Why are you nearly an hour late?" Naru's cold voice cut through the relaxing fog that had settled in Mai's mind. She jumped, unaware that he had entered the kitchenette.

"Jeez, Naru! Don't do that!"

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"Well, if you must know, Sensei kept us in late and then I missed the train."

"Mai, the trains run every two minutes. Even if you had missed it, you would not be half an hour late."

"Well I'm sorry if all the trains were full. I can't control the public transport, you." Mai retorted angrily, taking her teacup into the main room. A scared looking client looked at her from the doorway, and Mai attempted to rearrange her facial features into what she hoped passed for a… comforting expression.

"Hello! Welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research. My name is Taniyama Mai, do you have an appointment?" The client frowned.

"Excuse me, I was not aware that I needed one..."

"No worries, take a seat. I'll just go get…" she trailed off as Naru entered the room and sat on an armchair, legs crossed and tea in hand. "This is Kazuya Shibuya," said Mai, indicating to Naru and going to get Lin. The man sat down on the seat opposite Naru. Mai knocked on Lin's door, and looked down at the teacup she was holding, then back at the client.

"Can I offer you some tea?" The man shook his head and Mai rejoiced. Not that she didn't mind making tea, but with the quantities that she had to make a day, the less the better.

"Can you tell us your name, and where you are experiencing the paranormal phenomenon?" asked Naru once everyone was seated.

"Yes. My name is Kisake Kenji. I come from the old Shibuya Prison, which has been closed for at least forty years. It has now been converted into a museum, where visitors can explore the old cells. However, it has been undergoing renovations for the past five years, and is due to open to the public soon… but…" he trailed off, staring at his hands.

"Yes?" prompted Naru. Kisake looked up again.

"But there have been several incidents, mainly involving people going missing. The old complex is very large, you see, and unless you have a map you are likely to get lost… it was built to prevent criminals escaping, and was incredibly effective. The corridors are like a maze, I've been working there for twenty years and even I don't know my way around all of it.

'So you see it is possible to get lost down there. And that is what has been happening… at first, we just assumed that the builders going missing were just sick, or couldn't come in… but recently we found this belonging to one of them." He opened the briefcase by his side, and pulled out a photograph, passing it to Naru. The picture was one of a simple gold locket. "This belonged to one of the new trainee staff that we hired for the re-opening."

"Is it possible that she just took it off?" asked Mai, peering closely at the locket. Ryuzaki shook his head.

"No. The girl who owned this wore it every day. I asked the other members of staff, and one of them said that it was a present from her father for her fifth birthday. Apparently the two girls had known each other for a long time, and that she had worn it every single day since."

"And where is the necklace now?" asked Naru.

"With the police. They were contacted shortly after she went missing."

"And why are you attributing this to a ghost? How do you know that these people aren't just going missing?"

"Well, shortly before they went missing, they have all been caught by CCTV footage to have been entering one of the cells. However, when we checked there we found nothing. And sometimes employees will end up at that cell, locked in and having had no recollection as to how they got there. When they get out, they all have similar markings around their necks."

"What sort of markings?"

"Markings as if they have been strangled. But when we look at the CCTV, there was no one in there which could have caused the bruising. Please, accept the case, we open in five days! If these incidents keep occurring, then…" he trailed off again and Mai gulped as she realised what he was alluding to.

"I see. Please leave your contact details with my assistant. Please have a large room ready, with lots of sockets, not too far from this cell." He stood up and walked into his office, Lin leaving for his. Kisake looked at Mai.

"Does that mean that you'll accept the case?" he asked hopefully, his brown eyes widening. Mai nodded and smiled.

"Yes, but we'll need a large room like he said, so that we can monitor the activity. Now, could I please take your contact details?" Kisake nodded, and happily gave the telephone number of his office, before leaving Mai to make the calls to the other members of SPR.

* * *

><p>Two days later, Mai was looking up at the old, castle like building that had served as the old building. It was about an hour's drive out of Tokyo, but not too far that it necessitated overnight stays. For this, she was glad. Whenever she had to miss school for cases, work tended to pile up, and she often spent all of her free time catching up. It also meant that there was a reduced risk of her doing something embarrassing in front of Naru… in pyjamas… yes, Mai was glad that it was not a stay over case.<p>

Yasuhara walked up next to her, and cocked his head to the side, looking up at the old building. He let out a low whistle.

"It looks like one of those old posh schools you get in England," he said, shifting the weight of the box he was carrying from one arm to the other.

"How do you know what schools look like in England?" asked Mai incredulously.

"I was part of an exchange trip there once, many, many years ago now."

"Uh huh. Sure you were," said Mai sceptically.

"Hey! When have I ever fibbed or lied to you?"

"Yesterday."

"No, I really did see someone dressed up as a giant strawberry! Why wouldn't you believe that?"

"Really? A giant strawberry? In November?"

"They could have been going to a fancy dress party."

"A party during the middle of the day?!"

"… yes."

"Unbelievable."

"Mai, stop slacking." Naru's cold voice cut through the conversation like a knife, causing Mai to jump. She walked up the steps, peering round the large box. Soon, all the equipment had been carried in from the van and Mai was about to flop onto the sofa when Naru stopped her.

"Mai, Takigawa-san and Hara-san, go around the building checking temperatures and setting up the cameras. Hara-san, I also want you to sense any spirits. Kisaki-san will go with you to ensure that you do not get lost. Yasuhara-san and Matsuzaki-san, look up anything that may be related to the case." He settled back into his chair and continued to read the file. Mai picked up the box of cameras whilst Bou-san took the microphones.

"Masako, could you get the thermometer and clipboard?" asked Mai politely. Masako sniffed and exited the room without as much as a word. Bou-san looked at Mai, his eyebrow raised. Mai just shrugged in response and took the clipboard and thermometer as well, balancing them on top of the microphones.

* * *

><p>"Naru, is this camera good?" asked Mai over the walkie talkie.<p>

"No, move it to the left a little. The _other _left, Mai." Mai was able to hear the rolling of his eyes and she growled.

"There, that better?" she asked, as she moved it slightly.

"It'll do." Biting back her retort, she moved over to Bou-san.

"What's the temperature?"

"Normal. Have you sensed anything?" he asked Masako, who shook her head from behind her kimono sleeve.

"Well, on to the next room I guess." Bou-san went ahead, leaving Mai and Masako to trail behind in uncomfortable silence. Mai had thought that after the… case in which Mai had lent Masako her clothing, they would, if not friends, be able to get along reasonably well. Apparently that was not the case. As they walked to the next room, Mai felt a strange prickly feeling on the back of her neck. Her stomach gave an unaccountable lurch, as if she had suddenly thought about something that she was dreading. She tried to shake the feeling off, and was so absorbed in her thoughts that she walked straight into Bou-san's back.

"Hey! Watch where you're walking, Mai!"

"Sorry!" Bou-san waved the apology off, setting up the thermometer.

"So, any spider-senses tingling yet?" Masako and Mai were silent. "What? I was trying to lighten the mood!"

"Yes… but, there is a weird feeling here."

"It's as if something is watching us, but they are concealing themselves," added Masako from behind her kimono.

"… I'll check the temperature." Bou-san moved over to the thermometer. "No, it's normal."

"Well, we can set up the camera here anyway. And we can also tell Naru when we get back to base," said Mai as she set down the box of cameras and microphones that she was still carrying. Bou-san nodded, grabbing one of the microphones. Mai busied herself with setting up the camera, and a cool breeze brushed the back of her legs. She turned, but nothing was there. Shrugging, she went back to the camera when she felt the breeze again, this time much colder, cold enough to raise goose-pimples on the back of her knees. She turned round again, but just like the first time there was nothing there. Mai sidled up to Bou-san.

"Something keeps brushing against the back of my legs." She muttered, pretending to peer at the clipboard.

"Ghost?" muttered back Bou-san.

"I think so." Bou-san stretched, cracking his back.

"Yo, Masako, you sense anything?" Masako frowned.

"I… it's hard to tell. There is a weird energy in the room, almost as if there should be something here but it either isn't, or it's concealing itself."

"Huh?" Mai asked intelligently. Masako rolled her eyes.

"I sense the absence of a spirit, rather than the spirit itself."

"Right. Well, will let Naru know when we get back. He may want to check this room out himself." Bou-san held the door open for Masako and Mai. As she left, Mai looked back at the cell, seeing a slight flicker. She shivered, and couldn't shake off the feeling that someone, or something, was watching her.

**A/N: … … … hello. Sorry about the ****_very _****long wait. In my defence, this school year is beyond hectic. So don't expect another update until late June at the earliest. :p**

**However, this summer is going to be a long one for me. So my plan is to write up a load of chapters so that you guys don't have to wait so long for updates. Aren't I nice? That is, of course, people are still reading this story…**

**Anyway, please review!**


End file.
